a blog for Benbrook kids and their parents

Early Literacy SKills

by mirandaw2012 on September 16, 2013

We started a new Storytime at the Benbrook Public Library earlier this month called Book Babies which is aimed at babies aged 0 to 24 months. It is never too early to introduce early literacy skills!! What are these literacy skills you ask? Here they are in no particular order; (fancy term is listed first, then what it means for you, and then how you can use it at home or car or restaurant.. the list goes on and on.)

Print motivation:Love Books- an interest in and enjoyment of books.
Make reading fun. The hardest thing for me to teach myself is that babies will grab the book and turn the page and you might not have finished the words on those pages and that is ok. Keep going with what makes them happy. When they get older they will want to know what happens and you can finish the story from beginning to end no problem.

Vocabulary:New Words- knowing the names of things.
Don’t use small words just because they are small people. When you use a “big” word help them understand it by describing it with a “small” word. Use the word disgusting and then say gross.

Print Awareness:Use Books- understanding that print has meaning, noticing print everywhere, and how to handle a book. Look for examples of print to show your child: signs, menus, labels, and of course books!

Narrative Skills: Tell A Story- being able to describe things and events and tell stories.Narrate everything you do. When you cook dinner describe from beginning to end what you are doing.

Letter Knowledge:See Letters- knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds. Learning shapes helps them get ready to recognize the different shapes of letters.

Phonological Awareness: Make Sounds- being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words Singing songs helps to slow down words and identify individual sounds in words.

More than likely you are already doing these things at home but now you know why and have a fancy name for it. If you have any questions about any of our program please call 817-249-6632 for more information.